Some thoughts...
The music contained on "Wings for the Spirit" encompasses many spheres of influence, not the least of which is the improvisational legacy of jazz. Also of note is the environmental quality of space, silence, and the virtue of patience. The listener will realize no waste of notes, a simple yet refined posture and an approach that is at once natural and spiritual. This is sophisticated, uncluttered, unencumbered music that is truly created, not forcibly produced.
At the core is the impeccable musicianship of Marvin "Doc" Holladay, a musician respected worldwide as one of the premier baritone saxophonists in creative music. Few musicians have witnessed and participated in the evolution of American music, much less added a rich, literate voice to that music, as has Holladay.
Formerly the director of Jazz Studies at Oakland University in Rochester, MI, in suburban Detroit, Holladay was known not only as an instructor and performer, but as a composer, arranger, and a student of all musics. Perhaps Holladay's greatest claim to fame was his work in the '50s and '60s with the ensembles of Stan Kenton, Woody Herman, Quincy Jones, the Ellington Alumni Orchestra, Benny Carter and Duke Pearson. He has also worked with Dizzy Gillespie, J.C. Heard, Tito Puente, Sam Rivers, Charles Mingus, Cannonball and Nat Adderley and Pepper Adams among countless others.
Although Holladay's credentials are as impressive as any jazz musicians in the country, it would not mean a thing if his playing was mediocre. On this, his debut recording as a leader, you'll hear a master of his instruments who plays without overtly showy histrionics, blinding riffs or blaring altissimo blasts. His intelligence, passion and good taste are consistently evident with every phrase on "Wings for the Spirit."
This recording will likely take listeners into uncharted waters. It is music with depth and substance. It is music that defies pigeonholing. It is music that will move you. This is the music of "Doc" Holladay, and it is only a beginning. The sounds on this recording may well ask very real and important questions about life in the '80s. The answers are also within. But most importantly, it is music that needs to be heard and felt with the heart, soul, and the mind.
-Michael G. Nastos
(Program host-WEMU-FM, Ypsilanti, MI; Ann Arbor News music writer; contributor to Downbeat, Cadence, and Coda Magazines)
About the music on "Wings for the Spirit."..
(notes for all songs except tracks 4 and 6 were contributed by Michael G. Nastos)
Track 1 "Bahji" (7:32)
Focus: A spiritual center of place associated with a religious or spiritual identity.
Track 2: " Tahirih" (6:06)
Focus: The emergence of women into equality and the realization of the potential latent within their being
Track 3: "A Visit with the Master" (5:59)
Focus: The vitality and humor of a profoundly spiritual person.
Track 4: "The Luminous Continent" Suite (11:10)
Movement 1: "Origins of Humanity "
Focus: The wonder of the origins of humanity-,"Know
you not why we created you all from the same dust...(Baha'u'llah)"
Movement 2: "Pupil of the Eye"
Focus: Redefining the perception of Africa from the "Dark
Continent" to the "Luminous Continent"
Movement 3: "Pillars of Faith"
Focus: Power, strength and steadfastness as the roots for man's spiritual evolution
Track 5: "Carmel" (6:22)
Focus: A benevolent supportive source of order in life--balancing beauty with function.
Track 6: "Shiraz" (7:05)
Focus: Service, sacrifice and obedience to God as vehicles for man to truly fulfill his spiritual destiny.
Track 7: "Meditation for the Martyrs" (5:10)
Focus: The sacrifice of heroes martyred in the path of service to mankind.
Track 8: "Fortress for Well Being" (4:32)
Focus: The beauty, security, and joy of a loving marital relationship.
Track 9: "At the Threshold" (4:30)
Focus: Prayer or invocation at the most sacred threshold.
"Bahji" -Based on the concept of a spiritual center as a meeting place for the heart and soul, Holladay, on baritone saxophone, gets to the core of existence itself, and of the potential in one's serenity. The mood is calm, reflective and evocative. At times one is reminded of the jazz standard "You Don't Know What Love Is." The themes encompass a peaceful compromise with themselves, very secure in that knowledge - an even paced, patient, never rushed flowing palette of tranquility.
"Tahirih" -On bass clarinet, this is Holladay's anthem to the strength, persistence, and dignity of women. The piece evokes the pride and confidence of the fairer sex in a clearly musical, whimsical language, from the self-assured upper register of the instrument, to the somewhat flighty, sometimes doubtful lower register. The composition evokes into a bouncy, dancing, jubilant, alive motif, always glistening even in the darkest of darkness - the very essence of humanity.
"A Visit With The Master" - Back to the bari, Holladay comes to grips with his own vulnerability, constraints and limitations. Out of these concerns, he finds room for play and enjoyment, the need for freedom through liberation. Holladay's blues phrasings on this track are impressive, as if an understanding between him and the Master has been reached, resulting in a reaffirmation of sorts. Everybody gets the blues! The full range of the horn is most impressively displayed on this composition.
"The Luminous Continent" - The joyful Atenteben calls us to the roots of humanity's existence and with unrestrained energy demonstrates that music is integral to the essence of who we are. The full range of dynamics, melodics, harmonics, and tempos explored by Holladay pay musical tribute to the potentialities which lie within Africa and her peoples. In movement 1, Origins of Humanity, Holladay's flute calls for humanity to unite. The short phrases, used repetitively, make room for the listener to respond and become one with the music. The music evokes images of the joy of living life to its fullest. In movement 2, Pupil of the Eye, the pulse of Africa flows strongly. The melodies evoke images of dances of welcome to all the world's peoples and celebration of the essence of the image of Africa as the "Luminous Continent", redefining Africa from dark, stagnant and ignorant into a recognition of its true identity as luminous, insightful, dynamic, and wise. In movement 3, Pillars of Faith, Holladay turns the Atenteben's energies inward. The flute expresses the deep sense of homecoming that can happen when people from very different backgrounds embrace a common understanding of their "relativity",
"Carmel" - A rippling thematic statement alludes to the premise that one can have control of one's destiny if one is well organized. It is structured similarly to the dynamic of counterpoint, when a more fragile, submissive passage is juxtaposed against the arpeggiated theme, and dominates for the remainder of the composition. The baritone in Holladay's hands speaks volumes of emotion, and as it is talking, it is communicating directly without mincing words.
"Shiraz" - The range of dynamics Holladay evokes from the atenteben intertwine with haunting melodic contours inspired by Persian chant to make prayerful tribute to the deep spiritual significance of God's ever returning message to mankind of love and unity. With the skill of someone truly "at home" with his instrument, Holladay embraces the principle of unity in diversity and sets it beautifully forth for us all to share in this creation that combines the simple, gentle, tonal characteristics of the Ashanti atenteben flute, the scales and cadences of middle eastern chant, and the spirit and musicianship of American improvisational jazz.
"Meditation for the Martyrs" - Holladay's bass clarinet is concise, deliberate, and regretful on this tribute to the forgotten heroes who gave themselves for humanity. As Holladay uses space most effectively, so to does the listener create images of those martyred Baha'is in Iran, as well as Martin Luther King, John F. Kennedy, Anwar Sadat...It is an anthem for all time, and a gentle but firm warning to the human race. We cannot continue like this!
"Fortress for Well Being" - An opus to his wife Diane, Holladay returns to baritone, painting a lovely portrait of harmony, compassion, and understanding. He takes his time with every succinct section, pulling subtle nuance and the minutest difference of shadings of color from the entire spectrum of blue. We should all be so lucky to have such a friend and companion.
"At the Threshold" - Another theme on bass clarinet relating to the power of prayer, the humble feelings is conjures, and the delicate balance one strives to attain. At his most restrained Holladay's intentions are crystal clear. This is a very personal statement - his soul is bared, his peaceful ideals exposed for the world to share, or not if it chooses, perhaps at its own loss.
Read more...